Unlike the Ore Town Spring Horse Race a few days ago, which had required wooden barriers to be set up in the middle of Rose Square to transform a large area into a racetrack, today's Rose Square had only been decorated with festive balloons and ribbons. The only other thing there was a long wooden table, divided into many sections.
By the time Annie arrived with her roast chicken, plenty of food had already been placed in the divided sections, and many people had gathered around the table, chatting and pointing at things as they waited patiently for the competition to begin.
"Annie!"
"You're here? Oh! I see you brought a dish today. It looks like a big roast chicken? Nice, nice. Come on, this spot was saved just for you. Set your dish down here. There's a warming brazier underneath, so nothing will happen to it. After that, you can go chat with everyone for a while."
"We'll wait until everyone's arrived before we start. There's still plenty of time. Once it's over, you can eat to your heart's content. We'll make it a buffet, so everyone will get to try a bit of everything..."
"Come on, that's right! Just leave it there. Don't worry, we'll cover it with a glass dome. It'll be fine."
"It won't be long now. Once the competition's over, we can all dig in. Just a little longer!"
When Annie arrived with her dish, the enthusiastic old mayor, Thomas, quickly led her to the long table. Like the others, she was told to place her food in one of the empty sections and cover it with a glass dome. Then Thomas, that red-nosed old man, gestured for her to go cool her heels somewhere else.
"!!"
(ー`′ー)
"Darn it! That was a super champion